Review: The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Means Business
The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV doesn’t look very intimidating, but it has the potential to crush the compact electric SUV competition.
Unlike the shock and awe of the GMC Hummer EV that kicked-off GM’s Ultium-based assault on the electric vehicle segment, the Equinox EV has a sleek, unassuming style that wraps a package that’s hard to beat.
The Equinox EV is being offered in a front-wheel-drive version with 213 hp and 319 miles of range, while an all-wheel-drive model is also availble with 288 hp and a 285-mile range.
The first vehicles heading to showrooms now are the mid-level and top of the line 2LT and 3LT trims that are priced from $43,295 to $46,795, but the big guns are coming later this year. That’s when Chevrolet will introduce an entry-level Equinox EV with the same power and range for $34,995.
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All of the Mexican-made vehicles qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicle purchases, which means you’ll be able to get into one for as little as $27,495.
THE CHEVROLET SILVERADO EV WOULD MAKE A GREAT HEARSE
Nothing in its competitive class, which on size includes the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ford Mustang Mach E, Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y comes close from a price and range proposition.
The Equinox EV is entirely different from the internal combustion engine Equinox, which has been redesigned for 2024 and is launching alongside it. It’s more of what’s come to be known as a low UV, and is closer to a tall hatchback than a high riding utility vehicle.
That improves its aerodynamics, which contributes to the range it wrings out of a 85 kilowatt-hour battery pack. One tradeoff for the low price is that the maximum charging speed isn’t the fastest and is limited to 150 kilowatts, which means filling the battery to 80% will take around 35 to 40 minutes at a public fast charging station.
Like many electric vehicles, the Equinox EV has a long wheelbase that allows it to have a roomy cabin relative to its overall size. Six-foot tall passengers can sit all around with legroom to spare. It feels as spacious as the more expensive Blazer EV.
The driver is presented with dual digital displays, including a 17.7-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system that is essentially the same one that the Blazer EV and $96,395 Chevrolet Silverado EV have.
GM is controversially moving away from the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration in favor of Google Built-In, which requires you to download the apps you use into the car. Eight years of the required connected service for full functionality are included in the vehicle’s price. A key part of this strategy is that the native navigation is supposed to be better integrated with the electric powertrain, which helps to track the battery charge and find places to top off on a route. Google Built-In and the voice-activated Google Assistant work very well, but I haven’t spent enough time in a car without the Apple CarPlay that I typically rely on to come to a final verdict on it.
A day spent driving the Equinox EV has me convinced that the vehicle is a winner, however. The ride quality is excellent and the power more than adequate. Front-wheel-drive models can accelerate to 60 mph in about eight seconds and all-wheel-drive models in around six seconds. It can definitely get out of its own way and is very quiet doing it. In fact, the pedestrian alert noise that it makes at low speeds is much less intrusive than the ones in the Blazer EV and Silverado EV. Hopefully Chevrolet will follow suit with its future electric models.
The 2LT and 3LT come standard with adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system and can be equipped with the Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system, which is the best of its kind and works as well in the Equinox as it does in the six-figure Hummer EV. The 1LT will do without those features along with other niceties like the power seats and liftgate the 2LT and 3LT come with to keep its price low.
Chevrolet sold 62,045 Bolts last year before it was discontinued. This despite the fact that it was a smaller, aging model that had gone through a total recall for a major battery issue. The much more impressive Equinox EV should sail through dealerships if GM can make enough of them.
The Equinox EV will have some serious, lower-priced competition coming late next year, but it is in the form of a new Bolt, so Chevrolet won’t be sweating it.
The other automakers should definitely be sweating the Equinox EV.
The automaker provided travel to facilitate this report
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